Animamundi: Caduceus and Crown
by Daddy Elric
Summary: Young aristocrat Edward Elric enjoys a wealthy existence, until the day his beloved younger brother is tried as a wizard and brutally murdered. Desperate to revive him, Edward opens the gates to the world of forbidden dark alchemy. [Whole summary 1stchap]
1. From Fear Through The Eyes Of Madness

Well.. We were looking at an advertisement for the visual novel that shares the same title as this fic (though the subtitle is Dark Alchemist). And it just seemed like such a neat AU.. We had to do it. xD Yes, We know Ed's braid only goes to about the middle of his shoulders. But honestly, wouldn't down to the middle of his back be uber hawt? xD Please note that this AU is set around the 1800's. :3

We feel SO BAD about this, it's not even funny. Please, Aru fans, do not shoot Us. Go read something else if you don't exactly appreciate his death.

Dedication: Taisa, for keeping Us going with this. We wouldn't have been able to do it without him pushing Us on, believe you Us!

Pairing: Undecided, possibly RoyEd. Otherwise, no main pairings. May change.

Full Summary: Young aristocrat Edward Elric enjoys a fortunate existence, until the day his beloved younger brother is tried as a warlock and brutally murdered. Desperate to bring him back to life, Edward opens the door to the forbidden world of dark alchemy. Is love a sin? Or is sin proof of love? Edward stands before the gates of judgement -- will he find redemption, or damnation?

Warnings: Violence, blood&gore, possible swearing

Disclaimer: Don't own it! Contains ideas from _Animamundi: Dark Alchemist_, and _Godchild_, by Kaori Yuki. Summary taken from the advertisement for _Animamundi_, and edited to fit FMA. Song credited to 'Gypsy of Atonement' from _Hellsing._ The "kidnappers" are credited to Squaresoft and _Final Fantasy VII_. :D The cook isn't Ours either, she's Envy's character Mina. Chapter name is credited to the album _Good Apollo I'm Burning Star IV: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness_ by Coheed and Cambria.

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**a**n_imam_undi: ci**rc**le _on_e _from fear through the eyes of madness_

"Can I eat this, Cook?" came a voice. The cook looked up, brushing a lock of long brown hair out of her face. She smiled and nooded, and the young aristocrat picked up the scone he'd been indicating and left. The blue-eyed girl watched him leave, grinning to herself for a moment before brushing off her apron and going back to mixing the muffin batter.

The blonde teen took a bite out of the maple-glazed delicacy, grinning in delight. Damn, that was good. He paused in front of a large painting, golden gaze travelling slowly over the portrait of his father, a bronze-haired, bearded and bespectacled man. The noble boy did not exactly approve of the man. Actually, he despised him, and only spoke with him when desperately necessary. Hohenheim did not seem to dislike his eldest son at all, and actually seemed to enjoy his company. But he'd only been supporting the Elrics from the sidelines for some time, instead of being around, and never communicated with them till just a few years ago. Edward had come to realize how much he actually despised this person. He obviously could not hate his mother: he'd loved her so much when he was small, as did Aruphonse, and... she'd died when he was eight. He could not hate her. The boy shook his head, long braid flopping against the small of his back as he walked past.

The manor was Victorian-styled, as were many these days. Candles flickered in their holders beside the entrances to bedrooms and other chambers; in some places the wax pooled around the bottom and dripped onto the carpet and wallpaper below. Many paintings adorned the burgundy walls, and statues and gargoyles stood frozen beside tables which in turn stood below paintings.

He stopped abruptly as a yell alerted them that something was going on outside. Not wanting to be left out of this event, he threw his pinstriped waistcoat on over his linen shirt and his cravat, and hurried out, shoes clacking on the outside drive (which a lot of people were envious of; it was paved, and that was very expensive), but the scene ahead of him made him stop and stare, blinking wide golden eyes stupidly. What were they -- who _were _these guys? The _police?! _What were they doing to -- "Aru!"

His brother was busy attempting to throw a pair of men off himself. Though larger than his older brother, who was rather small and lithe, Aruphonse Elric was no match for these men, who were obviously trained for jobs such as hustling unsuspecting nobles into carriages. Upon the arrival of Edward, the men halted in their fight, but not before the smaller one jabbed his elbow into Aru's back and he toppled over. "What the hell are you doing?!" demanded Edward, approaching angrily and planting all five foot four of himself in front of the pair of "kidnappers".

One, a tall bald man with dark sunglasses, a goatee, and olive skin, picked Aruphonse up and slung him over his shoulder, but didn't reply. Both were wearing suits, with the outline of a gun under their breast pockets. The other, a smaller pale-skinned, redhaired man with a long ponytail and a club, smirked and replied coolly, "He's gonna be tried. We got reports that he's been practicing witchcraft." And without another word, the pair left. Edward watched them go, horrified. Aru hadn't ever performed anything even remotely _like _witchcraft, which meant only one thing: His brother was going to die.

_/The death wish wind is blowing into the life/_

When the younger of the Elric brothers woke, he realized he was flopped into a cell and was lying on straw. He picked himself up, blinking around the dark room as he wondered where he was. Where had those men taken him to? He remembered a sharp pain, and then blackness, so they must have knocked him out.. Typical. Kidnappers were always doing that. So.. now he had to find out why he was here, seemed like. He peered around the blackness, blinking rather like a deer caught in the headlanterns. His eyes slowly adjusted to the blackness, and he found that he was in some sort of jail. The bars were rusty and didn't seem very strong, though when the bronze-haired boy placed a hand on them and wiggled them, they were quite strong. He sighed, shaking his head and sitting back down. "What, you think you're going to get out?" asked a voice, sounding rather exasperated.

Aru looked up, blinking, and the voice sighed. "Sorry, kid, can't do it. I've got orders, and I've got to watch you. It's not fun, mind; all you did was lay there for the _longest _time." The voice seemed rather bored, now he thought about it. Something shifted, and suddenly a violet-haired man was crouching in front of him, adjusting his spectacles as he lowered himself to speak on eye-level with the young aristocrat. "So. You going to tell me who you are?" asked the man, fixing him with a silver gaze that seemed rather amused at Aru's predicament.

"What's the point?" shot back Aruphonse. "I'm just going to die anyway, right?" He seemed to have already accepted it, resigned himself to his fate. It wasn't that he had a death wish or anything, and that he wasn't outraged that he was falsely accused of being a warlock. He just knew he was innocent, and that this guy was sort of pissing him off.

The purplehaired man looked back at him, grinning. "Well, yes, but it's always nice to talk before you die. Keeps the nervousness down, you know." He shrugged, sitting down. He was wearing simple attire; a tall, black hat, and a cloak, one that covered his whole body save for his head and his boots. The collar was turned up, making him look almost like a vicar, though he didn't look very religious whatsoever. The man shrugged again, shaking his head. "So what're you in here for?"

Aru scoffed. "Shouldn't you know?" he replied icily. "You're the one who stuck me in here in the first place, right? You should know these things." Then again, he wasn't entirely sure of his words himself. This guy didn't seem to be intent on killing young nobles.

The bespectacled man shook his head. "No," he replied lightly. "I'm just the guy who's supposed to talk to you till you go crazy." Obviously a joke. Or.. was it? He looked serious.. He paused, then continued to speak. "I'll tell you my name if you tell me yours. It's kinda useless, but I like to be able to address who I'm talking to. So.. you are...?" He regarded Aru with an expectant look, obviously waiting for an answer.

The younger Elric brother sighed. He didn't particularily want to give out his name to someone who would probably be around to blab it to other occupants of this cell, or worse, media; and it would be possible to scare it out of him. Of course, it was useless information, this man's name,. but he was curious enough to ask for it. "Aruphonse Elric," he replied after a long pause. "And you?"

"Alexander Connor Rubens," replied the man without hesitating. "The third. Though I am of high standing, I do quite enjoy this job. Communication skill-building, and all that." He broke into a grin. "Even so, I prefer to avoid making friends. Here, anyway," he added, noting Aru's confused look. "They all die, so there's no point."

_/That suffering, that emptiness, that pain in the chest/_

Yup. He was positively going to die. Juuuuust perfect. Of course, hed known that before, but still.. this destroyed any hope he may have had before. Aru sighed, flopping back on the grimy, bloodstained hay. "So how long to I have? To live, like," he questioned morbidly.

Rubens shrugged. "Depends on when the Lord gets back. Could be any time from a minute from now to an hour. He likes to dillydally; doesn't quite enjoy trying people. You know," he added offhandedly, "most people he tries are women. Witches, and the like. Course, he'll like a change." He looked up as a door opened somewhere in the prison, and grinned, pushing up his glasses. "He's here." He leaned back, lifting a hand in greeting. "Welcome, Lord! Reno and Rude brought you someone new."

Said "Lord", a man wearing a hood that shadowed the top of his face, stepped toward them, smirking at the rather frightened look on the younger Elric brother's face. "Well take him out, then, I can't possibly give him a test while he's locked in there, now can I?" replied the shadowy-faced man, robes shifting as he stepped toward them. His voice was rather deep, and sounded quite smug. Rubens snorted, but nodded, standing and removing the padlock on the cage. Aru stumbled to his feet, but without warning Rubens grabbed his wrist, hauling him out and managing to bring him to a sort of examining table. He was placed upon it, and without warning, the torture began.

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_INTERMISSION_: Heh.. This is where he dies, so... Just a warning: you may want to skip it. We're mutilating him here. Aru lovers will shoot Us for this.

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A cough. A splatter of blood hit the floor, followed by another splash of the crimson fluid. He was.. was he bleeding? Internally... He knew all about this... didn't he? It escaped him... He couldn't focus, couldn't..

A stab, another stab joined the multitude of wounds already on his back. He was hanging by his legs; they were in a large cuff that was bolted to a long chain. Silver, perhaps... What sort of horrible idea...

What about.. what about Edward? Was his brother.. angry with him? Would he be..? He knew he was --

Aruphonse's thoughts were cut short as the blades of the hooded man's silver shears bit into his hand, and Aru drew it back instinctively to find... Half his index and middle fingers, and the first knuckle of his thumb were _gone. _Hell, he could see the bone, marrow and all, and the muscle that surrounded it, quite clearly. It was sickening.Had this man just... ? The silver-eyed teen winced, but didn't make a sound. The man was obviously dissatisfied, because the shears bit down again, this time on the shell of his ear. The tip -- gone. Was this man just going to mutilate him until he was satisfied? With the lift of another tool, Aru knew it was so. Gone were the rest of his fingers as the man squeezed what seemed to be something for... what did someone use pliers for? He couldn't remember; he'd never done work like that. And now --

With a single slice, the man had traced a blade around his jawline, slashed inwards, drew out, and neatly removed his lower jaw with two loud cracks of bone. And he was still alive, and trying not to move. He whimpered, tongue lashing pitifully against the bloody outline of where his jaw should have been.._ Please, could you just... end the pain? _

As if answering his silent prayers, the man drew the blade neatly across each of Aru's wrists, the blood from the slits splattering the puddle below. "Good night," whispered the smug Lord before sliding it along the teen's neck. "See you in hell, I suppose..."

The last thing Aru saw was the man turning, throwing off his hood. An amount of black hair reached Aru's vision, along with a dark fabric patch obscuring a stretch of skin, before his vision turned red and he blacked out.

_/Inescapable criminal's destiny/_

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There you are, Our first shot at gore. Dx It didn't turn out nearly as We'd hoped...


	2. A Chance Meeting

Chapitre deux. :D We notice We abuse commas. xD Sorreh. We luff pauses. Also... Roy's first appearance! Yay for Roy!

**Full Summary:** Young aristocrat Edward Elric enjoys a fortunate existence, until the day his beloved younger brother is tried as a warlock and brutally murdered. Desperate to bring him back to life, Edward opens the door to the forbidden world of dark alchemy. Is love a sin? Or is sin proof of love? Edward stands before the gates of judgement -- will he find redemption, or damnation?

**Announcement:** We notice there's a flame going toward Taisa's Catnip fic. Please, if you want to go off and flame someone, do it constructively next time. He can't figure out what's wrong if all you do is go "O NOES MAI EYEBALLZ". Kay? Kay. :3

**Warnings:** Graphic depictions of blood&gore, possible swearing

**Reviews: **

Rose: xD Sorry, Rosie! There's more graphic stuff in this one, too... Heheh...

Taisa: xD Well, We had to do something for him! He bugged Us enough to keep Us motivated. xD And lookit, more continuation!

loser in the gutter: Emoooo. We like emo. Glad you liked it, it was hard to do. We were writing it and being sickened the whole time. :3

**Disclaimer:** Don't own it! Contains ideas from Animamundi: Dark Alchemist, and Godchild, by Kaori Yuki. Summary taken from the advertisement for Animamundi, and edited to fit FMA. Song is 'Speeding Cars' by Imogen Heap.

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a_n_ima**mu****nd**i: ci**rcle** two _a chance meeting_

_Aruphonse Elric_

_Age: 17_

_Gender: M_

_Killed by trials_

Edward scowled at the envelope in front of him. The oak desk he was seated at had a number of stacks of books upon it, and the leather-shaded lamp was just about to fall off, it was so crowded. The envelope, on the other hand, was open, ripped at the fold by a small, gilded steel penknife. In it had been a letter of apology, and statistics and photographs of Aru's death. Edward refused to accept the apology, since Aru's death had been in vain, and besides, he didn't think it was even sincere. Now he was scanning the stats. He couldn't look at the pictures. He knew that if he did he'd be terrified. So he just looked over the things he could, yellow eyes flicking back and forth over the slightly-yellow sheet. Till he managed to drop everything, that was. It all fluttered to the floor, and he groaned, dropping to his knees from the burgundy leather chair and gathering them in his hands. One thing came out on top: a picture. One he knew to be his brother's face.

It was sliced apart, the tongue lolling weakly against the wet back of his brother's mouth, covered in both saliva and blood. It dripped down his white linen shirt, staining what Edward could see of it a sickening russet. His eyes were still alive in this snapshot , full of fear and pain. Blood was running through the small spaces between his top row of teeth, rolling down them in wet streams of fluid only to drip into the puddle of blood Edward knew would have been on the floor. Edward, viewing this from the safety of his own toasty-warm library, gagged and quickly put that picture at the back of the papers in his hand, so that he didn't have to look at it, but...

There were more.

This one was of his hand, missing all of its fingers. The bone was visible, and blood was still spurting out of it. Aru had been alive then. Looking closer with some sort of sick fascination, Edward could see his thumb had been cut clean off, down to the joint near his wrist, which was also spurting blood erratically. And Ed knew right about then that if he had been a better brother, none of this would have happened.

He was shaken out of his thoughts when he realized that tears were pouring down his cheeks, and he wiped them away hastily. He had a bit of a plan, and crying did not augment said plan any. The blonde rose to his feet, putting the contents of the envelope away on the desk. He knew now that there was only one way to go about this: alchemy. A forbidden route, but it was one he was willing to take if it meant Aru would be returned to him.

So he got up, still rubbing tears out of his eyes, and slid a book off the shelf. If he was going to learn all this, he'd have to do it properly, start with the basics. Then, maybe, he'd get some sort of teacher. He couldn't do it alone.

_/Here's the day you hoped would never come/_

Edward got up, flipping the book open. He scanned the page for a moment, then fetched a cup of water. A change of state, huh? Water to ice, then back, then to steam. He pulled out a bit of paper, poring over the notes typed up in the thick tome.

_It is a simple matter to change liquids from state to state. It is not considered an actual transmutation, though the array is very similar to that of a basic transmutation. Incidentally, the symbol for mercury appears in both state-changing and substance-changing reactions, which leads many scientists to believe that there is a connection between the pair, more so than that of the energy which powers them. Below is a simplified version of a water-to-ice array; more complicated variations are to be performed by more skillful alchemists._

The blonde stared at the page for a moment before shrugging and dipping an eagle-feather quill into his bottle of crimson ink. The color had better not matter... He lifted the quill, blood-colored ink dripping off it for a moment before he tapped it on the side of the small crystal vial and began to trace the circle from the book. Around, three-sixty degrees, side one, two, three, four, five, six, till he had a sort of star atop the circle. That was simple enough. Now what?

_To activate the circle, most alchemists will press their hands on the edge and give the circle some of their life's energy. It is very important that you do not expend more than needed, for wasting said energy can and, if possible at the time, will kill you. Therefore, it is best to begin your study of the subject with small-scale transmutation, until you can learn to handle your energy more proficiently, which will come in handy more than once. It will be explored in other chapters. Meanwhile, it would be best to practice state changes._

Okay, so most of that was unneeded information till later, but Edward decided to keep that in his memory anyway. It would come in handy sooner or later, after all. He put the cup on the circle halfheartedly, and placed his hands down with the same air of halfhearted-ness. He was half doubting it would work, after all. When he concentrated, however, the water immediately crystallized, and Edward turned the cup over just to have a chunk of honest-to-goodness ice drop out with a thunk. "So it works," he mused, picking the ice up. "But is it real ice...?" It was cold, so he supposed so. So this was a real state change. He thought on it for a moment, then decided he would try something a little harder. To turn ice into gas, you had to go through liquid form. Could he skip water and go directly to steam? It was mind-boggling, but perhaps it was possible..

The boy got up, deciding that maybe he would get some lunch in town. The day was growing late, after all, and doing nothing always got him agitated. He dog-eared the page, shoved the book back into its spot (making a mental note to remember the title) and shrugged his jacket on over his linen shirt and vest, flipping his braid out of his coat as he did. Besides, maybe he could figure out whether the media had been informed of his brother's murder or not.

_/Don't feed me violins/_

It was a nice day out. The town was bright, and many people were present at a restaurant and inn near the center of the city. Giant parasols shaded the tables outside, and most of the seats were full. Only a few chairs were empty, and there was at least one person at all of the tables.

_He_ sat in the crowded outside area of the place, sipping a peach-and-lime daiquiri and mostly observing the other customers, when someone arrived that he lifted a dark brow at. A small... girl? It was hard to tell from here, but the person had a long golden braid, down to the small of their back, and a pair of chin-length forelocks. Very feminine, if he did say so himself. Then again, this person was wearing mens' clothing, so maybe not... Ah, he was getting closer. Now he could tell. The man with the daiquiri ran a hand through his shaggy dark locks, the ones the women fawned over, and stood as what he now knew to be a boy passed him. "Excuse me," the boy said slowly, looking the darkhaired man over cautiously, "But... This place. Taken? There's nowhere else to sit," he added sullenly, indicating the place. "So, um.."

Roy Mustang smirked, then nodded. "I don't mind," he replied. "Go ahead. I'm only people-watching, anyway." The boy nodded as well, then sat. Roy observed him curiously. So this was the elder Elric brother... He didn't look so much like his brother, but just his presence reminded him a lot of Aru. Sort of made him feel guilty, though Edward didn't need to know the reason behind that.

"So.." said the boy, flagging down a waiter and requesting his own drink, a virgin margarita. (Roy took this to mean that Edward couldn't hold his liquor. He was right.) "You don't happen to know anything about..." Roy leaned in interestedly, as the blonde lowered his voice. "About... my brother... do you?"

This made Roy give a secret grin, and he turned his head so Edward wouldn't see it. "Yes," he replied finally, looking back at the boy. "I was in the presence of his murderer. I... witnessed it." The boy's golden eyes widened in shock, shock Roy reveled in seeing. "I recall he was terrified." Well, of course he would be. Stupid thing to say, Roy.

"You were there?" The boy seemed to be very horrified. "Do you know who killed him?" He sounded very interested, all the same. It almost made Roy snigger. Of course, he could not just inform the teen that he did actually know. That would ruin the fun, and blow his carefully-constructed cover.

"No," replied Roy regretfully. "I don't. However," he added, and his arm snaked around Edward's shoulders, "I will try to figure it out for you." An invitation the blonde couldn't resist, Roy saw, because Edward looked rather interested. "Of course, I can also tell you... How to get him back." This temptation got almost anyone into its clutches, and it wouldn't be hard to ensnare a wet-behind-the-ears pretty boy.

Edward's face brightened, and he nodded gratefully. "I appreciate it," he replied. "I would have you contact me if you found anything out, but of course, that would be suspicious. So..." The boy paused, and Roy lifted a quizzical brow. "...I would prefer you just came to the manor. If... that's not a problem," he added, and Roy had a sense that if it _was _a problem, Roy Mustang would be very sorry indeed.

So Roy just smirked, nodded, and gathered himself, dropping a few coins on the table. "It won't be," he assured the boy. Of course it wouldn't be. Why would he give up a chance to be in the same vicinity as the now-sole Elric boy himself? "I trust you can pay for your bill yourself?"

"Duh," replied the boy, remaining seated and putting his boots up on Roy's vacated chair. "I'm Edward Elric. Of course I can." Little did Ed know that saying that he could would most likely bring his demise. "I'll see you later, then? You may want to give me a schedule, so I know when you're not wor--" He broke off as Roy handed him a piece of paper. "Okay, then," he said, obviously impressed at the fact that Roy had planned so far ahead. "I'll see you on... Tuesday, then."

Roy nodded, then turned away, slinging his coat over his shoulder. This would be quite the set of events...

_/Just run with me -- through roses -- speeding cars/ _


	3. Devil's Art 101

So yeah, We never have any ideas for past fics, so this update was well-needed. Taisa's usurped the idea flow, or something. xPPP Meanie. But anyway, We figured We should try to put up another chapter.

**Review Replies: **

**LoveChild Rosie: **Pwa, run through Rosie, is you nuts?

**Momma Mustang: **xD Taisa really likes this one, doesn't he? We're glad. xD We luff Taisa! We had to put that!

**loser in the gutter: **xD Maybe. It's pretty obvious. o-o

**Disclaimer**: Don't own it! Song for this chapter is Fall Out Boy's _I'm Like A Lawyer With The Way I'm Always Getting You Off. _

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**a**n_imam_undi

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c**ir**cl_e thr_ee: _devils' art 101_

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It took a while for Tuesday to roll around. When it did, Edward hovered anxiously around the foyer, barking orders at any maid who dared approach and ask if he needed something. In this way he effectively scared off the servants, and was left in peace while he waited, though the peace was disrupted by his restless pacing. Finally he looked up, as there was a loud rapping from the other side of the door and he jumped up, hauling the forest-green slab of oak open by the brass knob. He ended up staring at Roy and a small redheaded girl, who was wearing an uncomfortable-looking blue dress and was standing just a step behind the darkhaired man. "Hello," came her voice, sounding very small and soft.

Edward waved them inside, peering at the blue-eyed girl, who kept behind Roy and didn't say anything aside from her greeting. He'd find out who she was later, so there was no point in drawing attention to the girl now. He shifted his attention then, to the man he had invited there in the first place. "I see you made it," he said levelly, not letting his eagerness show until they really got down to business. "You didn't run into any trouble, did you?"

Roy laughed. "Not particularily," he replied. "Of course, my niece figured out that I was going to the home of quite the handsome young alchemist-to-be. I had to bring her along." He waved a hand at the small girl, whose face colored. She curtsied, nearly tripping as she did. Obviously she didn't do it very often.

Edward sniggered, and he shook his head. "You don't have to be so formal," he assured her. "I'm not _that _much of an ass." No, there was someone else here that held that title, though Edward hadn't decided it yet. "So anyway. You are...?" He looked expectantly at the girl.

She colored again, but this time looked him straight in the eye to reply. "Rose Mustang," she replied. "I'd give you a complete family history, like Mr Rubens would have done, but I really don't think I need to be that formal, do I?"

The blonde winced. That was _not _what he'd meant when he'd told her to be not so poised. It'd simply been that he didn't appreciate being curtsied at when she wasn't a maid. Did she _want _to be a maid? Judging by the way she held herself and the way she took care of her uncle, probably. Probably Roy's private servant or something like that, by the looks of it. He shook it off, though, and looked to the uncle. "Shall we get started? Or do you want some kind of tour?" he asked boredly.

Roy smirked. "Now that you mention it," he replied (Edward winced again), "we _should _have a tour. Rose and I need to get used to our surroundings, right, Rose?" He looked like he was enjoying himself. Bastard.

"All right, all right," replied Edward, scowling. "But don't expect me to tell you what everything is." It wasn't like it was his responsibility, of course. He was content to just lead them, and if Roy or his niece got lost after that, then so be it. He didn't really care.

The oldest occupant of the foyer removed his overcoat, folded it over his arm and put it on the small table nearby, placing his top hat on top of the folds of fabric neatly. "Right. Come on, Rose." She nodded, leaving her parasol next to her uncle's hat.

Edward scowled, but didn't protest. As long as they'd shut up and follow, his "lesson" wouldn't be far off. So he sucked it up. "Right, c'mon. I'm going to walk and you're going to follow and we'll be done with it." He immediately began to walk off, leaving the pair to follow. He marched through the house in about five minutes, never slowing. Rose had to actually pick up her skirts and trot after them, but Roy seemed to have no problem striding after the blonde's quick walk.

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_/We're the new face of failure/  
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The tour finished quickly. Edward seemed to have exhausted Rose, who had placed her hands on her knees, bent, and proceeded to pant. She'd been practically running after them for five minutes straight, after all. Roy didn't seem fazed, however, and Ed, used to walking about the large house, simply stood with his arms crossed and gave Rose a rather disapproving look. Damn, girls were getting out of shape lately. Ed sighed. "Then that's it," he announced. "That's the tour. Um..." He paused, not wanting to be rude about it, but he'd waited a damn week for this and his brother wasn't just going to jump back up and say 'Hey! Look! I'm alive!' and Ed wasn't content to wait any longer. "Anyway. Mr Mustang, I asked you here for a reason." 

A slow smirk bloomed across Roy's lips, and he nodded. "Yes, of course. How could I possibly forget? Your lessons. Come, then, have you had any prior experience with it?"

Edward nodded. "A bit... but not really. Just today I started... so I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do. I practiced state changes early today, but I didn't really do much. It's... interesting, though. I was mostly cut off from alchemy through my life, though my father is a skilled alchemist. I do read a lot of books, however."

Roy nodded, stepping away. He seemed to have memorized the entire manor already, and quickly lead the way to the library. Rose looked quite victimized. She wasn't chubby, but all girls did lately was lie around and make themselves look pretty, so far as Edward knew, so he was quite annoyed that she was making a big deal out of relatively nothing. "All right," said the darkhaired man. "Come, then, and I'll give you a short tutorial before we begin to formulate a circle to bring your brother back."

Edward nodded, following Rose and Roy into the library. The pictures were still on the desk where he'd left them; Edward had not entered the library since the day he had read the letter and viewed them. He sighed, sitting in an armchair across a different desk from Roy. Rose seated herself in an aisle of books, selected one, and began to read it, completely ignoring the two at the desk. "So..." Ed began, blinking as Roy produced a few sheets of paper and a pair of quills and ink bottles from the desk. "What do we do?"

"Get me some water."

Edward blinked, then went off to do so, coming back with a glass. He handed it to Roy, but the man pushed it back toward him. "I want to see what you can do," was his only order. The blonde took the water, took up a quill, and went to work, drawing from memory the simple circle and adding something he'd read while waiting for the Mustangs to arrive. Roy blinked, but Edward didn't hesitate. He placed his hand down upon the circle and grinned as the water it was surrounding crystallized into a bright yellow sunflower.

Roy stared. Remarkable... it would be a pity to lose this amount of talent... He nodded in approval. "You're a quick learner. You won't be hard to teach." The blonde looked quite elated. Poor boy... he was going to find it quite devastating when all he got from this was a monster. Oh well... it was his job as the self-appointed savior to show people the result of their sins. Who was he to stop people from doing what they wanted? If they were heading in the wrong direction anyway, it wouldn't make any difference if he gave them a little push or not. "Now... shall we begin the harder things?" He blinked, then leaned over, beckoning for Edward to lean toward him. "Ah... and don't tell Rose what we're studying here. She'll be highly disapproving."

Edward stared as well, then nodded. "Yeah all right. I won't tell," he promised. Later it would occur to him that had he told Rose what they were doing, he might have actually been saved.

"You're a good boy, Edward. We'll have no problems, I think," commented Roy. Edward grinned. If he kept on like this, his brother's revival would be soon, he hoped. Now to get Roy to teach him this sort of thing...

* * *

_/Prettier and younger but not any better off/  
_

* * *

"All right, write this down." 

Quill poised, the elder Elric brother nodded and took notes as Roy narrated.

"35L water,

20kg carbon,

1.5L lime,

800g phosphorus,

250g salt,

100g saltpeter,

80g sulfur,

7.5g fluorine,

5g iron

3g silicon. There are fifteen additional elements, but their quantities are minuscule, so we'll get to those later."

Edward stared at the paper, not quite comprehending. What was all this? "Sounds like a recipe," he commented. "What's all this crap for? They say alchemy started in the kitchen, sure, but this is just weird."

Roy's smirk, which had been there for some time, immediately grew. "You don't recognize the ingredients? It could be called a recipe, I suppose... This thing is over seventy-five percent composed of water. I'm surprised you don't recognize it."

The blonde tilted his head, staring at the paper for a moment before looking up at Roy, who was looking quite smug. Then he gazed down at the sheet and paled. "You mean that this is what people... are made of?" He didn't look too pleased. Roy sighed, mentally scolding himself. Maybe he should have waited until Edward _asked _about it. The blonde didn't seem ready, but then again, he'd wanted to start right away... "That's..." The boy suddenly looked quite smug. "That's quite easy to gather up. What's the world coming to?"

Roy blinked. Well, he certainly hadn't expected _this _kind of reaction, not after the look on the young aristocrat's face. But frankly, this was a _good _reaction, because they would have no problems with it. But really, why did it matter to him how many problems they had _anyway? _It didn't make much sense. He had no love for this boy, only cold pity for the fool who dared venture into God's domain. Hell, contrary to popular belief, Roy had no experience with human transmutation. He knew the theories, but he'd never actually _done _it. But Edward had no need to know that. He supposed... it was simply an impulsive thing to aid this boy. He felt like eliminating the Elric brothers, so he'd kill one and have fun with the other. It didn't matter. "Well," said Roy, snapping himself out of his thoughts. "Then let's go over the methods. Come."

* * *

/_Bulletproof loneliness/  
_

* * *

Over the next few days, Edward learned quite a lot from Roy, who had turned out to be quite the skilled alchemist. He knew, Edward found with a surprise, how to snap his fingers and make fire, and Edward had been considering that magic existed before Roy demonstrated how exactly he was making his flames. "It's the same principle as all alchemy, equivalent exchange, but on a very small scale. The glove sparks when it's rubbed together, and then, adjust the oxygen and hydrogen levels in the air, and boom. It takes years to learn. Maybe you'll get a chance to learn it once we're done with this." Edward was quite satisfied to hear this. 

One day, exactly a week after Roy came to the manor, someone showed up there. The visitor was lead inside by a brown-haired maid, who looked quite excited by this violet-haired arrival. She said something to Edward about her 'oh-so-noble brother Alex arriving' and promptly scattered to freshen up, or... something. He wasn't quite sure, but he immediately excused himself from his lesson to greet whoever it was. He entered the foyer, blinking as the cloaked man removed his top had and bowed deeply. He straightened up, gray eyes grinning behind thin frames. "Hello. I'm called Rubens," said the man simply. "I see that Gwendolyn alerted you to my presence here. I hope I'm not interrupting anything?"

Edward shook his head, braid flopping. "Nah," he replied, "We were just in the library. You're welcome to come in as well." He turned, returning to the library. Rubens could follow, or if he wanted, or if he wanted, he could leave again, but either way Edward didn't care. "Hey," he called, as he re-entered the library. Both Mustangs looked up. "D'you guys know a Rubens? I told him we were in here, so he might come in, I dunno."

Both Mustangs had looked up, and now both nodded, but Roy seemed surprised that Rose knew him. "He's a subordinate of mine," said Roy. "He must know I'm here, otherwise he wouldn't have come here."

"He's..." Both teacher and student blinked over at Rose, who was looking sheepish. Maybe it was embarrassment, Edward wasn't quite sure. Either way, Rose was blushing furiously, her face about the same color as her hair. "He's my..."

"Boyfriend," spoke up Rubens from the door. Roy looked at him sharply. Before they'd come here he'd been telling her 'anyone but Ed', and here she was going out with one of his _grunts. _At least it wasn't Ed. "Sorry, sir," added the violet-haired man. "I'll admit, I came to her. But we haven't done anything," he added quickly, in case Roy was getting ideas. "I think both of us are satisfied with what we have."

Roy didn't look pleased, but at least it wasn't Ed. Ed was... his quarry, he could say, and not in a romantic way, either. He might lead him on, perhaps, but really, he held nothing for the teen. It would be a pity to take down such a talented individual, but he really had no use for such a child, and the boy would just get in his way. So he sighed, and nodded. "Rubens."

"Yessir."

"You're staying here? Unless, that is, you want to take Rose here out, in which case you've got my permission."

Rubens stared at him before he smiled. "All right, sir. Rose, would you like to go somewhere?" She nodded and stood, and Edward watched them leave before looking back at Roy. Despite the cold attitude the man secretly held toward him, Edward was rather starting to enjoy his presence at the manor. As long as Roy didn't leave him like

_(and oh god his hand ohgodohgodohgod)_

Aru did, then he supposed he'd be happy.

* * *

_/At best, at best/_

* * *


End file.
